Innholdsfortegnelse for April - May 2020/ No. 132 i International Artist

As you all probably know, we also publish very popular art magazines that are directed toward collectors—American Art Collector and Western Art Collector. Both of these magazines feature art created by living artists and organized in a way that helps collectors find art to acquire from their collections. In this capacity, we work with artists, galleries, museums, fairs and auction houses around the country. And what are we hearing from this people? That now is the time. People are happy, galleries are full and people are buying art steadily and without hesitation. So what does this mean to you? It means that now is the time to hone your skills to be a part of this wonderful art market. Now is the time. In the pages of this magazine, you…

FULL COLOR DIGITAL PRINT-OUTS Use the Official Entry Form over the page ONLINE Visit our website to upload digital files of the images you want to enter and pay for them using our secure server. www.internationalartist.com To upload your entries you need to prepare your image files to be at least 400 pixels at the shortest edge. Once you are in the Official Online Entry page simply select which challenge you wish to enter then follow the prompts and finally pay the entry fee via our secure server. There you can also see other entries received along with past winners of our competitions. HINTS FOR PHOTOGRAPHING YOUR ARTWORK Set your camera to the highest quality available. Shoot your paintings dead square on and fill the frame as much as possible.…

In this seven-part series, artist John Hulsey takes you on a visual journey through his outdoor and studio painting processes. I love to travel around the U.S. and Europe to paint. I have been honored to have been selected to work as an artist in residence in numerous national parks. There is something very freeing about being in a beautiful environment, far from our day-to-day concerns with nothing else to think about but inspiration and painting. Our hearts and spirits soar in those moments, but they are generally relatively rare in our everyday art lives. The remainder of our art-making hours are spent at home, in our studios and communities. Except for those who live in wonderfully scenic locations, most of us live in ordinary places, like the Midwest, where…

I didn’t attempt oil painting until the last quarter of my third year in college. It was after college that I developed my style. I did a bit of experimentation with different mediums but decided on oil painting for its longevity and versatility. I was introduced to a successful plein air painter very early in my career, William F. Reese. I took a “Painting from Life” class from him that made a great impression on me. He personally gave me some good guidelines on creating and selling. I remember him saying something to the effect “Think like a man.” An “old school” term for trying to tell me to take my work seriously and choose between a family and other avenues of distraction. At that time Reese was connected to…

I have really enjoyed painting this amazing subject. Milford Sound is definitely one of my favourite subjects to paint. The grandeur of this place is hard to comprehend; you really have to experience it for yourself. Seeing it for the first time it’s so hard to put into words, it hits you on so many levels and now it has a special part in my heart as I’m sure if your able to go and see it, it will do the same to you! If you love to paint landscapes this place should be on your bucket list. I would love to have a painting trip there specially dedicated to Milford Sound, so let me know if anyone would like to join me for some plein air painting! Sometimes you’re…

Welcome to my studio! I live on the farthest Northeast reach of Los Angeles where the city ends, and the neighborhood rolls up into the local canyons. It’s the peaceful life that I’ve always hoped for and finally acquired in recent years after working in house at DreamWorks Animation for many years. My primary work is as an animation artist, but I keep up the traditional painting as much as possible, so the studio is equipped with a digital painting setup on one side and a traditional painting setup on the other. I love both mediums and feel that working in each consistently improves my abilities in the other. My traditional painting setup includes oils and acrylics, but I’ve primarily settled on watercolors and gouache as a favorite medium. My…

To start with, I am a theatre artist by profession and as a consequence, the theatre dictates the theme and the ways it is going to be displayed. As far as I am concerned, the theatre is a world of shadows reflecting or emitting light. This is how I see it in its presentation on the stage. It is a world of illusions and emotions; it does not portray specific people but depicts an attitude. Themes determine format and material. According to me, watercolor painting is a more emotional and spontaneous presentation of form and sensations whereas oil, acrylic, and pastel show a more rational approach to themes. Color itself is an interlocutor. It carries certain emotions. In my painting, I try to limit color to a minimum. It is…

MY DESIGN AND COMPOSITION TACTICS I take photographs by going to nature for subjects that may inspire me in everyday life or that I imagine them before. Sometimes I make long observations. I have been being emotionally prepared for that by feeling atmosphere. What I feel about the theme is effective what elements should be add and leave them out. Accordingly, I edit the composition and draw it with pencil. I create the elements that I want in the composition (balance, rhythm, movement, light-shadow, light-dark, harmony, texture, space-fullness, focal point) in drawing and painting stages. When I work from the reference photograph, I make changes when I see a negative effect that does not match my feelings. Photo Reference In this photo, you see the woodland that I often visit,…

During my youth, much of my free time was spent with my grandmother. She was a true renaissance woman who shared with me her talents and skills in music, fabric arts and painting. I remember a particular magnetism toward her teachings of how I could transfer drawings of old ships on stormy seas and apply oil paint in such a way as to mimic the work of master maritime artists. My passion for painting was evident to my second grade teacher who told my mother, “Cara is going to be an artist one day,” and was fortunately encouraged by both parents. In high school, however, art took a backseat as my fondness for music and singing grew, leading me to major in classic vocal performance in college. A temporary break…

ENTER OUR NEW ART COMPETITION CHALLENGE No. 118 Abstract/Experimental Art See your work published in International Artist magazine and also receive a 4-page Editorial Feature in American Art Collector, the prestigious magazine read by collectors and galleries looking for new art work in the world’s biggest art market. Winners and Finalists in our competitions don’t just win awards to hang on their walls. The real value of entering and being one of the winners is that your work will not only be seen by hundreds of thousands of readers worldwide but also by leading galleries and collectors in America, the biggest art market of all. Our Grand Prize Winners receive a 2-page spread in International Artist magazine and a 4-page Editorial Feature in American Art Collector. Publicity at this level…

This was a commission I did a few years ago. Out of necessity, I worked from a photo. However, I did not, nor do I ever project or trace. I’m not passing judgement on artists who do, it’s a totally valid choice, however, my feeling is that drawing is a skill that I must maintain, or I lose it. Pavarotti once said that he works on his voice by vocalizing every day. He said that if he misses a day, it can serve as rest. If he misses two, he notices and if he misses three the audience notices. Drawing is the foundation of representational painting. If I go a period of time without drawing, I lose that sureness that comes from doing it every day and people do notice.…

Where does one begin! I have been fascinated by art at a very early age in life, where my mother would find me quietly drawing in my room for countless hours while others were playing street hockey. Where I am today is the path my yesterday has brought me. Since my last painting in 1990, I have rekindled my passion after 27 years in what I would call hibernation. In late October 2017, I decided to pursue my love for painting again. It is without a doubt that I am a landscape artist, even though I have tried every form of media and applications and continue to this day doing pencil sketch, using dry pastels and so on. It is without question that painting with oils is my choice of…

Squintingyoureyesdownto see a simpler version of the landscape is an unbelievably useful way to begin a landscape. When you squint, you’re literally looking through your eyelashes, details disappear and color is not as apparent, all you see are the big simple relationships of value (value is the term artists use for the range of light to dark). In other words, you see a simple statement. Ifwetrytomake our paintings about everything, then by default, they end up being about nothing. Picking areas of primary focus is a way to give our images purpose. We look out at a landscape and decide what’s most special about it Everymovementthatweever make is balanced against the force of gravity. It’s an ever-present consideration that we tend to handle at an unconscious level.…

SKETCH A particular mindset defines the character of the artist more than anything else. One major challenge in a sketch is to find the balance between the background expressing the emotional situation and the main object in the area providing information. That means that we must first establish the proportions and then concentrate on details/accents creating the dynamics in the picture. In other words, we proceed from simplicity to complexity, from specific matters to wholeness. This basic rule must always be taken into consideration. STAGE 1 SKETCHING THE COMPOSITION First, just make a rough drawing without details. Sketch the main accents taking into consideration the dynamics of the composition and the movement of light. STAGE 2 APPLYING THE FIRST LAYER OF COLORS ON THE WET PAPER Wet the whole sheet…

I work from photos and take all my reference shots. In composing my work, I avoid centering the subject in order to create a more engaging environment for the viewer. Asymmetry requires the viewer to be an active participant, visually moving through the work instead of being directed to the center and looking no further. Each painting starts with a series of photos that is winnowed down based mainly on composition and lighting. Two things set my paintings apart from that of many other watercolorists. First, all of my color mixing is done on the painting itself. I create color depth and subtle nuances with multiple layers of wet-on-wet applications, frequently mixing anywhere from two to six paints at a time. Painting in this manner requires knowledge about your paints,…

I first came to scratchboard in 2011, introduced by a community of artists that would eventually become the International Society of Scratchboard Artists, of which I am now a signature member. The medium intrigued me because of the unique nature of working in the negative, coaxing the subject out of the darkness. I love the quote attributed to da Vinci: “A painter should begin every canvas with a wash of black, because all things in nature are dark except where exposed by light.” There is a melancholy beauty to work done in black and white, the way the form turns from light into shadow to be lost in the darkness soulful portraits. Like most artists working in the wildlife genre, I have had a deep affinity for animals for as…

All that I look for is to give a soul and an emotion to my paintings. I paint with my heart, I put what I feel, and beyond the realism that emerges from my paintings, I try to have this something that will make it look more than like a photograph. The eyes reflect the soul and cannot lie, and the light allows me to give dimension and strength to the painting. I work oil and pastel, two completely different mediums that give me each a lot of pleasure. The painting is made on canvas mounted on a frame; the pastel is made on Pastelmat paper. The painting will bring strength, while the pastel is a little more velvety and sweetness. Whether using my pencils or my brushes, I work…

Many of you who regularly check out Harley’s articles here are getting to know me and my peculiarities. Mostly through my art and the stories behind what I do. You now see a portrait I did of my first love, who was with me in my early years. Here she sat in my studio with her head and eyes turned dramatically to her left. Her features were of utmost importance. You can see my academic handling around her face. Yet her inner spirit motivated me to push those surrounding abstract shapes. You now know some of my influence. Looking at this portrait brings back such memories. We parted in our late twenties. I do miss her when I reflect upon our fun and innocent times. My obsession was art, spending…

Exciting new releases to sharpen your skills! Gabriela Dellosso GONZALES Nancy BOREN Chuck MARSHALL You are in business, have a career or are in a profession. Money is a measure of how well you do. It’s not the motivation—that’s your desire to follow your dream—but money does say something about how well you’ve followed the dream. It also makes achieving your dream more feasible. It’s likely that more income leads to a better lifestyle, but not better artwork. Often artists assume the artwork sells itself because people fall in love with the work. Marketing is a matter of putting people in front of paintings, usually through an exhibition. It is widely accepted that if an exhibition sells none or a few works that they were not “good.” Butwhat if you…

THREE INTERNATIONAL ENTRY POINTS For your convenience there are three International Entry Points. You can pay your Entry Fee by Visa or MasterCard. 1 USA / CANADA THE AMERICAS Send your entry and payment of US $9 per entry/picture to: International Artist magazine Challenge No. 118: Abstract/Experimental Art 7530 East Main Street, Suite 105 Scottsdale, AZ 85251, USA Enter your Credit Card details on the Entry Form below or include a Check/Money Order made payable to International Artist. (Checks must be in US Dollars and drawn on a US bank) 2 UNITED KINGDOM / EUROPE AFRICA Send your entry and payment of £5 (or €8) per entry/picture to: International Artist magazine Challenge No. 118: Abstract/Experimental Art 7530 East Main Street, Suite 105 Scottsdale, AZ 85251, USA Enter your Credit Card…

In a previous International Artist issue, II wrote about the roller coaster experience of entering fine art competitions. I think most artists, after creating their best effort, desire acknowledgement of their hard work. Entering and being accepted into a competition can certainly provide that type of recognition. But, being rejected can send you crashing in utter disappointment and make you wonder, “What is it that the judges are looking for anyway?” In our recent Members Only Competition, we received over 1,100 entries with five categories: Commissioned Portrait, Non-Commissioned Portrait, Animal as the Subject, Still Life and Outside the Box. I volunteered to judge the Non-Commissioned Portrait category and appointed four fellow artists with experience in jurying. Each judge was to review the work in a fair and unbiased manner and…

As a self-taught artist, art has always captivated and fascinated me since early childhood, from the moment I started to draw, it helped me express how I was feeling or ideas I couldn’t quite articulate. The constant challenge of updating and improving techniques and styles as well as continuously finding new inspirations has always brought me a great sense of satisfaction and achievement. “I feel that art can speak to us, whether it be a memory it might trigger or perhaps it resonates deep with our own experiences.” Attracting emotion from the viewers is a main element of my artwork, drawing and inviting the viewers into the painting. I love to use my brush, palette knife and paints to creatively capture a likeness and apply expressive strokes to my painting,…

Reference Photo The vision, image or photograph in my opinion is key. This is the inspiration that drives the artist to the canvas. No matter what subject matter or style one is painting, there needs to be inspiration. The reference photo I am using was taken along the shorelines of Lake Wahnapitei located just outside my small hometown of Capreol, which is now part of the Greater City of Sudbury in Ontario. Nature is my culprit and my inspiration for most of my subject matter. I am surrounded by nature in northern Ontario, which I am so fortunate that many parts our landscape is still untouched giving me an opportunity to capture the moment before our environment and surroundings changes. STAGE 1 DRAWING I prep my canvas by toning it…

When I switched to the watercolor technique five years ago, I didn’t expect it to take up so much space in my life. There is a desire to do a new work every day, and the magic of watercolor has become an indispensable passion for me. I didn’t imagine that my love of painting in my childhood would lead me to be art teacher, and after that to become a watercolor artist. The happiest special times of my childhood were those I spent in our garden full of plants and trees. Small puddles, bark, stones, color wildflowers, the river passing near us—I was interested in all of it. More than swimming in the sea, I remember standing and watching the waves and collecting colored stones. Now, the natural areas where…

We all look for interesting subjects for our paintings, but finding something interesting is only half the battle. For the painting to engage the viewer, hold their attention and trigger some sort of emotional response, we must do more than simply document what we see. I always ask myself “What is it that makes me want to paint this subject?” The answer is usually less to do with the subject and more to do with some abstract, emotional response to what I am looking at. Take a group of weathered buildings on a Venetian Canal for example. Sure, the buildings are interesting enough, but the rising dampness, crumbling plaster and fading paint all work hard to interrupt the grand formality of the architecture. It is this contradiction of man-made beauty…

LEARNING How did I get better over the years? I tried to improve what I was already understanding. For instance, I knew shadows should be certain values and shapes, so I kept working on that. I was consistent with what I understood and my cagey subconscious knew when I was ready to edge forward. Confidence pushes us ahead into new creative territory. So let’s talk about those shadows. Why? Because shadows are as important as the rudder on a ship. The ship floats wonderfully but without a rudder, aimlessly. Shadows should never be taken casually. Look at them and see their exact shape including the complex angles, sizes, values; their soft and hard and lost edges. I’ve seen drawings that would have been wonderful had the artist taken more time…